Ought On World Cafe

It's always helpful to understand an artist's background when making sense of its creations, especially when it comes to a group like Ought. The band and its debut album, More Than Any Other Day, were shaped significantly by events that occurred in its hometown of Montreal.

Ought formed in 2012, the year the Quebec government threatened to raise tuition for the province's universities — including McGill, where the band's members met. Their music couldn't help but be shaped by the protests and strike that occurred during the Printemps d'Erable Quebec (Quebec Maple Spring), even though the band members themselves aren't Canadian. The American and Australian expats' sound has political overtones that are at times obvious and at other times understated. As you'll hear, the music itself is wonderfully fresh.